In the past 20 years, I have produced everything from news, talk shows, on-line informational shows, documentaries, commercials, how-to videos, to magazine programs. In that time, I have been pitched just about every idea imaginable. But considering there are only so many hours in a day, so many minutes in a show or segment, can you guess how many of those pitches made it to air? Would you believe maybe 3-5%? The question then becomes: Why did I choose the ones I did, and why did the others get tossed, deleted, unanswered. The answer: The pitch started with a compelling sell that was clearly directed at my target audience and came with a memorable story.
Say you have a company, service, or product your selling. If you pitch just that, I can promise you, you will NOT get a call back from an a Producer. Here's an inside tip: Producers work hard! They have a tremendous responsibility to define content that is true to the nature of the program - broadcast, online, etc. If you are calling a Producer to say, 'Please put me on your program so I can talk about my new (name of product/service/company here).' And that's all you offer, don't wait by the phone. A call is not coming your way. If I have to work too hard to figure out what your angle is to elevate my show, you've lost me. I've moved on to someone who 'gets' it. I want you to 'get' it. I want you to know what to say and how to say it so you can pitch any entity you choose with confidence. Here are five action steps to take, before you send off a press release to a Producer or show.- THINK. Really look at the media source you want to approach. Put on your temporary Producer hat and ask yourself:
- What is this show about? What purpose does it serve in the marketplace?
- Who is its audience? KING-TV in Seattle is about to debut its new talk show - New Day Northwest (I've attached the show's new open below - which will give you a very good idea who they are producing for). The show is Monday-Friday in the morning. Who is this show's audience? Women, ideally 30-45, but more likely 35-60. Is what you are pitching of interest to them? Perhaps not on the surface, but maybe it could be. Dig, rethink how what you are pitching could be a fit.
- How could my product/service/company relate to the viewers? This is what I call 'take away value.' When I book guests, I always ask myself what will the audience take away from this segment. Is it information? Is it a story that will resonate? If you can figure out how to weave a compelling story into your product/service/company, you will get booked.
- What is this show about? What purpose does it serve in the marketplace?
- WRITE. Take a page from Twitter. Sit down and write a 140 character sell. If you can tell me in 140 characters the general angle of your pitch, you'll have my attention. Start your pitch with that. Follow that with the 50 word synopsis of what you are offering, why I should care. Take the advice from Nicole Donnelly in her book "Ride Like A Penguin," ask yourself if what you've written is newsworthy, interesting, or surprising?
- EDIT. You need to discover the hook to your pitch. But, you also need to really think about who is going to sit in that chair with a host and talk, representing you. Leave the ego at the door, it might not be you! Good Producers develop a sixth sense for good talkers. I can decide within a five minute phone conversation if I am booking a particular guest or not. Can this person articulate succinctly answers to my questions? Does this person give me answers that naturally lead me to the next question that moves the story along? Nothing is more painful that to have a guest on a show who give you 'yes,' 'no,' or one sentence answers. Next harsh reality: Who's going to look good on camera? I'm not talking about Hollywood glamour here. But I will tell you when I worked in New York, we always had potential guests send a photo. We literally wanted to make sure the person had teeth!
- PLAN. You are going to pitch a Producer who is over-worked and underpaid. Don't shoot yourself in the foot by not planning on the possibility that you will get a call or he/she will research you before that call. If I am pitched, and I go to a website, blog, etc. and it isn't current or it is a completely different arena than what I was just pitched, it's over. I won't do the extra work to find you. I won't take the time to glean your story from your busy website. For every pitch I get, there are a hundred other people waiting to take that spot. Plan for a Producer to check you out.
- PROVIDE. This is where you can completely set yourself apart from others trying to get a Producer's attention. Give him/her everything you can to make the job easier. You know your story. You can talk well and be interesting. You look pretty good on camera. What else does a Producer want? Think about interviews you have seen before. Which ones were the most interesting? When I was producing a talk show, I really didn't want to look at the guest and the hosts for 6 minutes non-stop, and I don't think the viewers did either. We occasionally had enough of a budget to send out a camera crew to shoot was in the biz is known as 'b-roll.' That is the footage that the director rolls in over the 'talking heads.' These days budgets are tight and a show may not have the capability. But, you can provide it for them. Hire a crew - yes, like Two Dogs Barking Productions - and have footage shot of you doing what you do, of your product, etc. THEN, have that crew shoot a testimonial or personal story that will elevate what you are doing to a personal level. You give a Producer that footage - you are one step closer to 'Lights, Camera, Action!'
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